An air carrier A300 flight crew had an air-ground sensing switch failure that the flight crew initia...

Attributes
ACN	385730
Time
Date	199711
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mia
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 11 msl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : mia tower : mia
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A300
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : initial other other
Route In Use	departure other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
ASRS Report	385730
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

After takeoff landing gear would not retract. The landing gear handle could not be raised to the neutral position and landing gear lever interlock was annunciated on ECAM. Landing gear selector switch was on system #1, system #2 not tried due to other multiple failures noted below. In conjunction with landing gear lever interlock, got pitch trim 1 fault, pressure regulator #1 fault and first officer pitot amber fault -- all at the same time. During approach with gear down, did not have any brake release indications on wheel page of ECAM. After landing at mia, got a spoiler 3/2 fault during landing rollout. Spoiler 3/2 fault was annunciated on ECAM and amber fault lights on 3/2 spoiler and speed brake illuminated. During taxi in after landing after autospoilers retracted, got spoiler 4/1 fault on ECAM and had amber fault lights on spoiler/speed brake 4/1 switch. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is an acceptance and maintenance test pilot for a major airline and was performing a functional check flight after major maintenance on this A300 aircraft. He alleged that the aircraft had a history of problems with the central air data computer system. He noted this history in the maintenance logs before the test flight. Maintenance had, apparently, changed the cadcs and their related equipment several times and when the landing gear would not retract after takeoff, he thought that a CADC problem may be the cause. As the electronic centralized aircraft monitoring system started to display system abnormalities, he said that he was sure that this was another CADC failure. In any case, he knew that it was time to terminate the test flight. The captain flew the same aircraft the next day and found that maintenance had tested the cadcs and the air/ground switching system and only the air/ground switch had to be changed. The aircraft performed perfectly on the next test flight, he said.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR A300 FLC HAD AN AIR-GND SENSING SWITCH FAILURE THAT THE FLC INITIALLY INTERPED AS A CENTRAL AIR DATA COMPUTER PROB, WITH A NUMBER OF RELATED PROBS WITH DISPLAYS AND MALFUNCTIONING SYS. THE FLC ELECTED TO RETURN TO THEIR DEP ARPT.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF LNDG GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. THE LNDG GEAR HANDLE COULD NOT BE RAISED TO THE NEUTRAL POS AND LNDG GEAR LEVER INTERLOCK WAS ANNUNCIATED ON ECAM. LNDG GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH WAS ON SYS #1, SYS #2 NOT TRIED DUE TO OTHER MULTIPLE FAILURES NOTED BELOW. IN CONJUNCTION WITH LNDG GEAR LEVER INTERLOCK, GOT PITCH TRIM 1 FAULT, PRESSURE REGULATOR #1 FAULT AND FO PITOT AMBER FAULT -- ALL AT THE SAME TIME. DURING APCH WITH GEAR DOWN, DID NOT HAVE ANY BRAKE RELEASE INDICATIONS ON WHEEL PAGE OF ECAM. AFTER LNDG AT MIA, GOT A SPOILER 3/2 FAULT DURING LNDG ROLLOUT. SPOILER 3/2 FAULT WAS ANNUNCIATED ON ECAM AND AMBER FAULT LIGHTS ON 3/2 SPOILER AND SPD BRAKE ILLUMINATED. DURING TAXI IN AFTER LNDG AFTER AUTOSPOILERS RETRACTED, GOT SPOILER 4/1 FAULT ON ECAM AND HAD AMBER FAULT LIGHTS ON SPOILER/SPD BRAKE 4/1 SWITCH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS AN ACCEPTANCE AND MAINT TEST PLT FOR A MAJOR AIRLINE AND WAS PERFORMING A FUNCTIONAL CHK FLT AFTER MAJOR MAINT ON THIS A300 ACFT. HE ALLEGED THAT THE ACFT HAD A HISTORY OF PROBS WITH THE CENTRAL AIR DATA COMPUTER SYS. HE NOTED THIS HISTORY IN THE MAINT LOGS BEFORE THE TEST FLT. MAINT HAD, APPARENTLY, CHANGED THE CADCS AND THEIR RELATED EQUIP SEVERAL TIMES AND WHEN THE LNDG GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER TKOF, HE THOUGHT THAT A CADC PROB MAY BE THE CAUSE. AS THE ELECTRONIC CENTRALIZED ACFT MONITORING SYS STARTED TO DISPLAY SYS ABNORMALITIES, HE SAID THAT HE WAS SURE THAT THIS WAS ANOTHER CADC FAILURE. IN ANY CASE, HE KNEW THAT IT WAS TIME TO TERMINATE THE TEST FLT. THE CAPT FLEW THE SAME ACFT THE NEXT DAY AND FOUND THAT MAINT HAD TESTED THE CADCS AND THE AIR/GND SWITCHING SYS AND ONLY THE AIR/GND SWITCH HAD TO BE CHANGED. THE ACFT PERFORMED PERFECTLY ON THE NEXT TEST FLT, HE SAID.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

An air carrier A300 flight crew had an air-ground sensing switch failure that the flight crew initially interpreted as a central air data computer problem, with a number of related problems with displays and malfunctioning system. The flight crew elected to return to their departure airport.